Dubai landlords shun 'partying' bachelors

You’d think that a good bank balance and hiring a good property agent would get you the apartment of your choice in Dubai. Not if you are a bachelor.

In that case, your renting options will be limited and the whole exercise could eventually turn nightmarish.

“It’s definitely easier to find a bride than an apartment in Dubai,” mocks Joji, a top marketing executive who had to undergo a fair deal of rejection before finally finding a decent pad in Muhaisnah.

“At one point, I even thought of bringing in my mother so that I could get access to the apartment of my choice,” he shrugs.

The entire process, Joji explains, was extremely frustrating. “I would go from agent to agent, and they’d tell me that I couldn’t stay in their building but I could easily find another one.

“When I asked them why I was being denied access, they’d reply that I shouldn’t be asking these questions!”

So, how did he manage to finally bag a deal.

“I told them I’ll get married in a couple of months!”

That said, he hasn’t charted out how he will go about doing it. “If it has to happen, it will be good. If not, then I’ll bring my mother on a dependent visa just so that I can continue to keep the apartment.”

His new rent contract does explicitly highlight the “for family stay only” clause, which he believes is just an easy way for the landlord to hike rent or even evict him later.

“If I don’t get married or can’t bring my mom here, then the landlord can use my status as an excuse to as for a rental increase.”

Joji further emphasises how it was fairly simple for bachelors to land accommodation a few years ago. “Now that the property demand is high, landlords are being choosy,” he says.

Although he admits that he is aware about the “disciplinary issue” surrounding the ‘bachelor’ tag, he is unhappy about how realty agents are tweaking it to their convenience.

“This is prevalent only in this part of the town [Old Dubai]. If you are willing to pay a premium and go to areas like the Greens, then there will be no problem.

“I just wanted to live somewhere closer to work as I didn’t want to add to my daily commute time.”

A new bachelor tenant at the Greens endorsed Joji’s observation.

“I didn’t face any problems when I rented this one-bed-apartment. I guess it’s the price you pay for living in a ‘premium’ neighbourhood,” Cherian insists.

He, however, admits that he is aware of similar ‘bachelor’ woes. “I’ve had a friend who had faced similar rejection in Discovery Gardens. In fact, his rent was increased abruptly.”

When Emirates 24|7 contacted a few real estate agents in Al Qusais and Al Nahda area, they admitted to be governed by a ‘no bachelor clause’.

“I don’t know the reason but the landlords don’t want to rent out to bachelors,” confirmed an agent.

Another claimed he had access to one building that allowed bachelors. This, Joji points out, could be an old dilapidated building in a shabby neighbourhood.

A property agent in Dubai, on condition of anonymity, explains that landlords prefer family tenants because they are easy to manage. “Apart from maintenance issues, they also think young men party a lot and eventually create havoc in the neighbourhood.

“This gets the landlords into trouble with the building management. And some bachelors even flat-share, which isn’t allowed in the contract but is difficult to onitor for landlords, especially if they do not live or work in Dubai,” he said.

The agent claims that the issue is not rife in freehold areas. “It’s easier for single men to rent a unit here. However, we screen the clients before leasing out. They have to be of a managerial level. It could be their company letter or salary certificate, but we source such information to make the final decision.”

(Home page image courtesy Shutterstock)

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